Home gardening basics: How to create a no-till, raised row garden
07/15/2021 / By Joanne Washburn / Comments
Home gardening basics: How to create a no-till, raised row garden

For all its incredible benefits, gardening can be tedious, grueling work. It involves constant weeding, tilling and watering, among other tiring, monotonous tasks associated with tending to a garden.

That’s why more and more gardeners are starting to try out something called no-till gardening. Also commonly known as no-dig gardening, no-till gardening involves avoiding disrupting the soil. Rather than use tools like plows, spades and hoes to turn over the soil, it’s left alone. The roots of spent plants are also left in the soil.

At the end of each growing season, gardeners cut plants at the soil line instead of pulling them out.

In the no-till world, organic fertilizers, compost or mulch are added only to the top of the soil occasionally. Those things, as well as the roots of spent plants, slowly break down to nourish the soil, providing nutrients for new plants. Over time, all of those organic layers will pile up and form raised rows, giving plants plenty of room to extend their roots.

Put simply, no-till gardens are a lot like forests or meadows, where soil is fertile despite never being tilled. New plants in those wild, natural environments routinely replace old ones, nourished by organic matter like decomposing leaves and old roots.

Read on to learn about the benefits of a no-till, raised row garden, as well as how to create one.

Gardening made easier

A no-till, raised row garden is all about making gardening simpler and easier. It removes a fundamental part of gardening: tilling. Tilling is done to loosen the soil, making it easier to plant new seeds. Tilling also allows air, nutrients and water to get deeper into the soil where roots can access them. It also helps control weed growth.

However, frequent tilling disrupts soil structure, making the soil vulnerable to erosion. Tilling also gets rid of crop residue, which helps cushion the force of pounding raindrops. Over time, you’ll end up doing more work to keep your soil fertile when you regularly till than if you simply leave the soil alone.

In contrast, tending to a no-till, raised row garden will only get easier over time. That’s because adding nutrients back through composts and cover cropping ensures an ever-improving cycle.

By not tilling, you also help preserve soil structure and minimize water runoff. This leads to less water needed to irrigate your plants. Leaving the soil alone also means you don’t disturb the beneficial microorganisms within the soil, which support the development of healthy soil structure.

Plus, soil microorganisms play a key role in decomposing organic matter, cycling nutrients and fertilizing soil.

You might get a few weeds in your first and second years of maintaining a no-till, raised row garden. But as you keep piling up those organic layers, you’ll be doing less and reaping more.

How to start a no-till, raised row garden

No-till gardening suits gardens of every size. Here’s how you can start your own:

1. Create the raised growing rows

If you’re starting from a grassy area, mow as close to the ground as possible. This is the only time you should actually till the soil as well.

To create the growing rows, lay down a combination of straw and compost about four to six inches high. Lay down a three- to four-inch layer of topsoil on top of the straw and compost pile, tapering it down to the edge of the rows. The finished rows should be about six inches tall in the middle. The length of your rows can be whatever works best for the amount of space you have.

If you’re starting from an old garden, lay down the same straw and compost mixture. then put soil from your old garden on top.

2. Mulch walking zones

For the walking zones, cover them with a thick layer of an inexpensive organic material to permanently block weeds. This reduces the need to watch out for weeds. You can use things like straw, leaves, bark chips or whatever organic material you have. You can also put down newspaper to remove existing weeds.

3. Mulch around each new plant

Create small holes along the raised rows for your plants and plant away. A pick works quickly and only disturbs a small area of the soil. You can also use a post hole digger for faster and easier planting.

Mulch around each plant with compost to insulate the soil. The compost also gives nutrients that will leach into the soil over time. Cover the spaces in between plants and any remaining space in each row with straw, shredded leaves or grass clippings. The key is to keep the soil covered at all times so weeds don’t grow.

4. Plant no-till cover crops

Cover crops are essentially living mulch. Examples of cover crops include rye, mustard and buckwheat.

In the fall, plant cover crops in your growing rows. This fills the rows with a protective green mass of turf, which prevents weed seeds from blowing in.

The roots of the cover crop also loosen the soil beneath the surface so that plants you grow in the spring can easily access nutrients deep within the soil. Cover crops also help replenish valuable nutrients in the soil.

5. Plant seeds in spring

Mow your cover crop in early spring. It will die off after a few times of mowing. You can immediately plant new seeds without having to prep the soil. Leave the cover crop clippings in the growing rows. They’ll provide nutrients as they break down.

No-till gardening is an easy and convenient way to sustainably grow your own food without breaking your back in the process. Create your own today by following the steps outlined above.

Sources:

OldWorldGardenFarms.com

HomesteadAndChill.com

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